


Separated

by RebeccaM_30, ZoneRobotnik



Series: Unexpected Plot Twist [14]
Category: Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 05:18:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19266622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebeccaM_30/pseuds/RebeccaM_30, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoneRobotnik/pseuds/ZoneRobotnik
Summary: Rob is finally reunited with his father, and Stan has a bittersweet reunion with Ford.





	Separated

**Author's Note:**

> Rob talks about his past abuse, so it gets pretty heavy. Take breathers if you need to!

Freshly changed into nicer clothes and cleaned up in a luxurious shower, Rob sat in the drawing room, feeling a bit tense. He reached up to run his finger along the edge of the eye patch and looked towards the direction of the front door. 

"What if he's disgusted with me...?" he whispered, more to himself than anyone.

Cipher lowered his book. "I told you. You'd have a home here. I still need to get you removed from the register, but it might be safer for you to stay on it...at least until that brand and scar are surgically hidden."

Before he could respond, there was a knock at the front door. Theo squeezed his hand. "You ready?"

Rob nodded, but looked unsure as he stood up. "I'm...I think so."

"Sit back down, I'll get the door," Cipher said as he walked out of the room.

"Why not just send the butler?" Rob asked.

"Why not you?" Cipher asked, casually. Rob sighed and sat back down.

Cipher hummed as he opened the front door. "Hello!"

"Good morning. Mr. Cipher, I presume?" The man was tall, had Rob's soft blue eyes and easy smile and his grey hair was cut short. Even though he was trying to project an air of confidence, it was easy to tell he was nervous. "I understand you're the one who found my son?"

Cipher nodded. "He's waiting inside. I have to warn you, he wasn't in good shape when I found him. I've done what I can, but some things are...beyond my ability," he sighed regretfully as he stepped aside for the man to enter, and closed the door behind him. "He's in the drawing room."

"A lot can happen in fifteen years," he agreed. He followed Cipher to the drawing room. Inside were two young men, but his eyes immediately focused on the one with shaggy golden blond hair. "Robbie?"

When the blond turned around, he tried not to gasp at the sight of the patch covering his right eye. What had been done to him over fifteen years? he shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about it. Tears blurred his vision as he crossed the room and pulled the young man into a hug. "I've missed you so much."

"Dad..." Rob's hands were shaking as he clutched at his father's shirt and buried his face in his shoulder as he started to sob. "D-Dad..."

"I'm sorry, Robbie. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't find you sooner." He clutched at Rob as if afraid he'd disappear again.

Rob held on tighter. "They told me you'd given up...that you were happy I was gone. T-They...oh, dad...I..." He grew unable to speak with all the crying he was doing and just clung to him desperately.

Cipher took his seat again. "I'm taking steps to ensure the person that took his eye is getting what he deserves," he said, calmly. "So, you two just focus on getting reaquainted. Oh, this is Theo. He's dating Robbie. Is that okay?"

"Thank you, Mr. Cipher." He gently pulled away from Rob. "Robbie, whoever told you I'd given up was a liar. Everyone told me you were likely dead, but I refused to believe it. I knew you were out there. I...I just never thought you were still so close." He hugged his son again before turning to Theo. "So, tell me about your boyfriend."

Rob smiled and blushed a bit. "Well, he's uh...I met him on the streets and took him in, and he's been the light of my dark and horrible life ever since then. Cipher's been good enough to care for him after my mas- _captor_   threatened to hurt him because I...I did something I wasn't allowed to do."

"Allowed?" Judge Shapiro asked, confused. "I don't understand."

Cipher sighed. "He was sold on an auction and enslaved."

"Oh my God!" The judge looked like he was about to be sick. "I'm so sorry, Robbie. That seems to be all I can say lately. I feel like I can't apologize enough. If I'd been on time picking you up..."

Cipher nodded. "He's been branded and carved into with the slave seal. It might be best if he stays with me until we can get that surgically hidden. And don't blame yourself. If it wasn't that day, then it would've been another. He was targeted. And once there's a target on your back, you don't get away easy. Not without death or a lot of money involved. I suspect you angered someone and they put a hit on your kid."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Rob frowned.

"Not personal experience, no. Just second hand knowledge." Cipher shrugged.

Anger clouded Judge Shapiro's eyes. "That bastard. They day I sentenced him...he looked at he and...he smiled. Robbie disappeared the next day. I knew he had something to do with it, but no one could prove it." He felt his knees buckle and he sank to the couch. "He covered his tracks too well. If he knew where my boy was, he took it to his grave."

"Can I get you a drink?" Cipher offered. "You can stay for dinner, too. Or even overnight."

"Thank you." The judge patted the seat next to him, inviting Rob to sit. "I know it'll be hard, but I want you to tell me everything."

Rob swallowed nervously. "E-Everything?"

Cipher glanced at them. "While he was enslaved, he was forced to do a lot of unpleasant things. He may not feel comfortable talking about them yet."

"Okay, maybe not  _everything_. Let's start with what you're comfortable with, and we'll go from there." He put his hand on Rob's shoulder, just as Theo put his hand on the other. Judge Shapiro smiled at the dark haired boy. "We're here for you."

Rob clung to the both of them. "I...I was...taken from my school and dragged into a van. I was handcuffed and chloroform was put over my mouth to knock me out. I woke up in a room with a bed and a camera. I tried to yell for help, for you, for anyone. A man came in and told me to be quiet and good or something bad would happen to me." He closed his eye, fighting back tears. "After a few days, I was...was bought. I was taken from my room in my sleep and woke up in a new place. A new man came up to me and told me he was my master and that I had to do what I was told, or I'd be punished and then..then he..." He placed his hand under his armpit. "He  _burned_ me."

"Branded," Cipher clarified. "He was branded with a slave seal."

Theo felt his anger toward Gibson grow. Not only him, but for whoever had ordered the abduction. He had only been thirteen, for God's sake! He squeezed Rob's shoulder.

Rob sniffled. "He then had me cleaned up and told me to do chores. Which...was easy enough. I did very well. He praised me a lot and liked to stroke my hair."

Judge Shapiro nodded. That didn't sound too bad. He had heard the horror stories and came from human trafficking. He had even prosecuted a few ringleaders. But, something in Rob's tone told him that wasn't all that had happened.

"After...after a few days, he told me he wanted me to clean up something else. So, he had me get dressed up and took me to a party with him...and he gave me a gun, told me to wait for him to give me a signal and then..." He looked sick. "I missed the first shot and hit the punch bowl. But, the second time...you always said I was good when we went to the shooting range..." His voice was trembling now.

Sweet Jesus...he made a  _child_ kill someone? Judge Shapiro felt the sick feeling return to the back of his throat. He wanted to see this person in his courtroom...no! He wanted to see them dead! "Dear God, you were a  _child_! What kind of monster turns a child into a hit man?"

"Hey, at least he gave him a gun," Cipher offered sympathetically. "Most kids bred to be hit men are given knives. Something about being bathed in blood bringing out the thirst for it, yadayadayada..."

Rob wiped at his eye. "He had me...kill a lot of people after that, on top of my regular chores. I did as I was told, because I didn't want to be punished. It had become...routine." He swallowed. "And then...they broke the routine. I turned sixteen." 

Cipher cringed as Theo spoke up. "If you don't want to talk about that, I'm sure your dad would understand." He looked to the judge, who nodded.

"Theo's right, son. You don't have to talk about anything you're uncomfortable with."

Rob shook his head and continued. "I...they..." He faltered and buried his face in his father's shoulder. "They...all three of them, they...one after the other...it felt like I was being torn open...and then...then they cleaned me up...and left me to...rest. The next day, I was...was told I was going to be a...caretaker for his nephew, who was visiting for the summer. I was moved from my room in the basement to one in the main house. I...I considered running, but they...they said they wouldn't do it again while he was there. And, if I ran...they'd track me down. Or the...the Authority would...would drag me back to my master."

Judge Shapiro clutched his son tighter. He no longer wanted to see whoever did this dead. No. Death was too good for them. He wanted to see them locked away in some foreign prison, where American prisoner welfare laws didn't apply. Somewhere where beating and rape were the norm. "Did...did the nephew ever...?" ' _Please, God. Aside from Theo, let at least one more good thing have happened.'_

"No, no! The nephew was so sweet, he wouldn't hurt a fly! He was a good person! But...I only saw him in the summer. After summer, he went home to another state and it was..." He faltered. "Business as usual. I lived in fear of my master...his  _cronies_....and The Authority."

Cipher gripped the arm of his chair. "Don't worry. He may have used The Authority against you, but he screwed up. They're my weapon now," he assured Rob, then turned to Theo and the judge. "The Authority pretty much runs the Dark Web, Dark Market, anything dark, really. They're the law in a lawless land. I only regret I didn't know about Rob's auction, because not  _all_ or us out there are looking for kids to torture.  _Some_ of us are looking for good assistants to care for and reunite with their families. I'm sorry I didn't know about his auction." As if on cue, Cipher's phone rang.

"Something good  _did_ happen, actually. When I was eighteen, I finally took the chance and ran away while they were out. I ran and ran and collapsed at Cipher's gate," Rob said, as Cipher pulled out his phone to see who was calling. "He took me in, but only for a while. When they came for me, he had to give me back, but he promised if I needed anything I could come to him."

Cipher got up and pointed to his phone as he left the room to take the call. "This is Cipher."

"Mr. Cipher," a smooth British voice answered. "This is Webmaster, calling on behalf of The Authority. We've looked into your complaint regarding the...'idiotic hillbilly fuck'? Normally, ending an auction early is a major violation of contract. However, McGucket believed his systems to be compromised."

"I see. That's understandable, then."  ' _Bad timing, Fiddleford.'_ And I apologize for the crass language, he was being unreasonable and demanding a  _guest_ as payment for punishing someone he sent to break into my home."

"That complaint has been investigated as well. We are in the process of deciding his punishment. The auction results, however, stand as is. We shall keep you informed on further developments. Good day, Mr. Cipher."

"Thank you, Webmaster. Good day to you." Cipher waited for them to hang up before he did the same. "Geez, kid...I hope you're okay."

 

* * *

 

  "Hey!" Stan walked over to glare at the camera. "Hey! I know you can hear and see me! Let me see my brother, you jerks! Or I'll make you regret putting me in here! HEY!!"

He turned when he heard the locks click. The man who had dragged him in here stood there. "If I were you, I'd behave. Maybe then you'd be allowed...privileges."

Stan scoffed. " _That's_ what they told me when I was  _dragged in here_! That I'd get to see my brother if I behaved and smiled for the camera! Well, I smiled! I even posed! Where is my brother?!" He put his hands on his hips and glared at the man.

"He's being prepared to meet his buyer."

"His buy--YOU LET ME SEE MY BROTHER OR I'LL MAKE YOU GO DEAF!!" Stan yelled, his hands clinched into fists. "YOU SAID I would see my brother IF I did as I was told, and NOW you're telling me he's 'getting ready to meet his buyer'? You're fucking LIARS!! Let me see my brother or I'll scream so high and loud you lose your hearing, you old creep!"

"If you keep behaving like a wild animal, you'll be bought by someone who will treat you as such. Is that what you want?"

"You PROMISED!" Stan stomped his foot. "You PROMISED I would see him! Let me see my brother!"

"I see no harm in it. Though the final decision is up to my employer. Would you like to speak with him? I can arrange that fairly easily."

"Fine," Stan huffed. "I'll talk to your boss. Take me to your leader!"

"No. He'll speak to you here." He nodded at the camera. A moment later, a voice came over a hidden speaker.

"What seems ta be tha trouble here, Frankie?"

Stan glared at the camera. " _You said_ that if I was  _good_ , I'd see my brother. I've smiled, I've posed, I've done _every damn thing you want_ , even taking my shirt off. And now I'm hearing you're sending my brother away before I get to see him? What kind of  _crank oper_ _ation_ are you running here? Will I _at least_ get to WRITE to him?"

The voice on the speaker laughed. "Ah lied. There's yer answer, Ah'm afraid. Oh. An' yell all ya want. These rooms are soundproofed."

"Yeah? Well, that camera  _can_ crack," Stan said angrily. "Trust me, I've broken cameras before with my screaming. And if you don't let me see my brother, and I end up dying wherever you send me, I will  _haunt_ you until YOU die!"

Frank looked at the camera. "I don't see an issue with it. After all, it'll likely be the last time they see each other."

A sigh came over the speaker. "A'ight. Go git 'im. We got a bit 'fore his buyer's people git here."

Stan calmed down, but still seemed upset. If he'd only come sooner, they could be together....

"After this, will you behave?" Frank asked.

"Fine," Stan huffed. "Will I get his new address so I can write to him?"

"Unlikely. Our clients highly value their privacy." Frank left the room and returned a few minutes later with Ford in tow. He shoved the teenager into the room. "You have five minutes."

"Ford!" Stan ran forward and hugged him. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He gently took his hands in his, looking over him before anxiously cupping his face.

"No. I'm not hurt. I'm fact, they took great care to see I wasn't. I...I'm scared, Stanley. I don't know where they're sending me!"

Stan held him tightly and spoke quietly, so only Ford could hear. "Hey, it's okay. We'll find each other. I promise we will. And when we do meet again, we'll get away from our 'masters' and go into hiding until they stop looking. Then we'll go home. Stay strong. I won't die until I see you again, I promise." He gently laced his fingers with Ford's. "It'll work out. You'll see. Ain't nothing that can keep us apart."

Frank came back in the room, clapping a large hand on Ford's shoulder. "Time's up."

"It hasn't been five minutes, yet!" Stan yelled, pointing to the watch on his wrist. "It's only been two!"

"Doesn't matter. His buyer's representative is here and wishes to check over purchase before completing the paperwork." Frank dragged Ford out of the room, locking the door behind him.

"Ford! No!" Stan went to the door and slammed his hands against it. "Dammit! I didn't even get to say goodbye! He's my brother and we should be together! We're TWINS!" He banged his hands against the door a couple more times before he went to his bed and buried himself in his blanket to cry.

When he was brought food, he listlessly took it and quietly ate, his eyes red from crying and his gaze blank from shock. He'd only just seen his brother after days, and now...now he may never see him again. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of him, and he didn't know how to function anymore. Like he'd lost an arm or a leg. He took two bites then left the tray to go sit on his bed and stare blankly at the wall.

 


End file.
